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The El Progresso Government School in Santa Elena Town, Cayo, will now have a reliable source of constant electricity supply, thanks to the kind donation of two sets of solar panels and heavy-duty storage batteries, provided by the Embassy of the Republic of China on Taiwan.

Taiwan’s Ambassador H.E. David C.K. Wu presented the solar panels to the school’s principal, Mr. Pedro Cano, at the school on Tuesday morning, January 15. The President of the Parents and Teachers Association, Mr. Julio Ruano, and PTA member Rudy Alvarado joined Principal Cano in thanking Ambassador Wu for the gift of solar energy.

Students of the school entertained their guests at the ceremony with a poem, a skit and a cultural dance called “the Meztizada”. The ceremony concluded with a multi-lingual “thank you” in English, Spanish, Maya and Mandarin.

The idea for the gift of renewable solar energy for the school was born during a visit by student volunteers from National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan who visited Belize in July 2011 and again last summer.

They learnt that El Progresso Government School did not have an adequate power, and so they sought assistance in Taiwan and procured the gift of the solar panels, so as to improve the learning environment for the students.

Each year over 200 groups of student volunteers from various universities throughout Taiwan travel abroad, with sponsorship from the Taiwanese government, to share their goodwill with Taiwan’s diplomatic allies. Volunteers from National Tsing Hua University will return to Belize again this summer.